Which, as They Kiss, Consume
by kairitheseventhprincessofheart
Summary: It was such an honor to be Chosen- to die for the commorancy and bring food, health, and prosperity to all its people. It was an honor, but... why did it have to be him?
1. Chapter 1

Hinamori Amu calmly walked down the hallway and pressed the down button on the elevator. As she waited for the doors to open, the pinkette adjusted her standard white uniform, only her shaking fingers betraying how nervous she was. With a chime, the elevator slid open. She stepped inside and pushed the button for the lowest floor.

The young woman ghosted a hand over her amber eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. Of course, no one else was in the elevator; she'd overslept. Everyone was probably already down there, eager to get their jobs.

The doors slid open, revealing a large room filled with a crowd of people all in white. Amu stepped out of the elevator, looking around with interest and excitement. Most people were gathered around the desk or waiting in an orderly line behind it, but there was also a couple of groups who were sitting around at the tables and reading their information packets, having already received their job assignments.

At the end of the line of eighteen-year-olds (eighteen was the eligible age for working) stood a man with blue hair and stunning dark eyes. Amu blushed a little as she went to stand behind him. _Wow_, she thought, allowing herself a moment to be shy. _He's so handsome_. Then she set her lips into a smile and stepped closer to him. "Hello," she said cheerfully as she turned to look skeptically at her. "I'm Hinamori Amu. What's your name?"

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto," he said curtly, looking at her like she was stupid, as if that name was supposed to mean something to her. Although it did seem familiar…

Amu pushed back her annoyance and made her smile even brighter, just to spite him. "It's nice to meet you. What job are you hoping to get?" she asked. He was still just staring at her like she was missing some important bit of knowledge that she was _obviously_ supposed to know; she continued anyway. "I'm fine with whatever I get, but I'm sort of hoping for cooking."

Ikuto calmly pulled up his sleeve and showed her the blue star-like marking on his wrist. Then he tugged the sleeve back down, all with the same stoic expression. Amu took a step back, her cheeks burning with shame. _Oh my- I can't believe- he must think I'm… I'm…_

How horrible was she, to talk about what she wanted to do with her life to someone who was destined to die? Tsukiyomi Ikuto, of course. This year's Chosen. There were so many, she didn't hold onto the names, but now she remembered. There had been somewhat of a stir over how young he was.

But then again, she remembered, the Choosing was completely voluntary, and, of course, the families of the Chosen were given extra food and money for their loss. And it was an honor, after all- the greatest honor imaginable.

She bowed deeply at the waist. "My apologies. How thoughtless and insensitive of me." He accepted her apology with a nod and turned back around. Amu was silent for a few seconds. She bit her lip, torn by indecision. Then she quietly repeated her earlier question. "What job are you hoping to get?" He was obviously getting one since he was standing there in line.

Ikuto turned back around to look at her, apparently surprised she was still trying to talk to him. The line moved, so they took a couple of steps forward. "I dunno," he said with a shrug. "Something in the arts." Then, surprisingly, his lips moved into something that faintly resembled a smile. "That's the first time in a month that someone outside of my family has spoken to me about something normal."

Encouraged, Amu took a step closer to him. _He looks even more handsome when he smiles_. "So you've got your mother and father. Do you have any other family?"

Ikuto nodded. "A sister."

"Really?" Amu said, delighted. "I've got a sister, too!" The young woman told him about Ami and about herself; gradually she managed to tease some information from him about himself- how he loved music and art, and how his sister was the most precious person in the world to him. Then, immediately, he looked embarrassed that he'd said such a thing to a near stranger, but she just said quietly, "I think that's sweet."

"Next," the sorter called.

Amu looked at Ikuto and bit her lip. "Can I see you again? Can we meet for middlemeal on break day?"

"Miss." The sorter sounded annoyed.

Ikuto hesitated, and then said, "Okay. Go on, now, Amu." He nodded at the table. "They're waiting for you."

"Meet me at the second floor cafeteria," she blurted over her shoulder as she approached the table. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized, and bowed. "Uh, Hinamori Amu."

The sorter ran his finger down the list, and the pinkette held her breath. "Cooking." He handed her a packet- probably of recipes- and Amu couldn't keep a smile off her face. She thanked him breathlessly and stepped aside, clutching the packet to her chest. Heart pounding, she pinned the kitchen badge, certifying that she had a cooking job, to her shirt, and then flashed Ikuto, who was up next, an encouraging smile. She sat down at a table and opened her recipe book.

Amu arrived in the kitchens on floor six at promptly eight-o-clock, just after morningmeal. Her stomach fluttered with excitement and just a little bit of nerves, but she needn't have worried. The top chef grinned at her as she welcome, calling out a loud, friendly "Welcome!" She stepped into the room and approached him with a tentative smile; he took her hand and pumped it up and down. "You must be our new chef, Hinamori Amu!" He had a warm face and voice, and Amu immediately liked him. Not that many in the commorancy were mean-spirited. If anyone started to get that way, they immediately volunteered for the Choosing or asked Healers for life-ending drugs, because they were obviously no use to the commorancy and were starting to wear down.

"It is an honor to meet you, Senior," Amu said cheerfully.

"We also got another chef today," he continued, gesturing towards a girl that looked vaguely familiar to her. "Mashiro Rima." That was right- she'd seen her around before, but they didn't live on the same floor. Amu flashed her a smile.

He went through the older chefs and introduced them one by one. "And I'm Nikaidou Yuu." Then he paused. "Enough dawdling now. Someone show Amu and Rima around the kitchen. Everyone else, get started on middlemeal." Yuu, meanwhile, continued on, directing everyone on what to cook for the next meal.

The young woman who'd been introduced as Shinku gestured for the two newbies to follow her. "You may remember from your outlines, but the vegetables are stored here and the fruits are stored here." She tapped the doors as she walked by. "The meats, which, as you know, are only served at eveningmeal, are in here, and these cabinets are for herbs and spices. Cheese, yogurt, milk, and butter are in here." Shinku's soft voice had a regal elegance to it which impressed Amu; she decided that she would also like to get to know Shinku, who couldn't have been more than a year or two older than her. The blonde, doll-like woman finished the tour, saying, "The ovens are over there, the nonalcoholic drinks are in here, and the alcoholic drinks for special occasions are kept here." She glanced back at the two girls. "You both should be having some tonight with your families." Shinku nodded politely and walked away.

Amu bit her lip and then turned, smiling, to face Rima. "Hi, Rima! It's nice to meet you. I'm Amu."

The petite blonde girl merely replied, "Hmph. How stupid." She walked off, her nose up in the air.

"Eh?" Amu practically shouted, earning looks from all around. "How rude." She fumed for a moment before calming herself. "Well, it's not my problem." The pinkette glanced around, trying to remember which place stored what food. Oh, well. It would come with time. She began to search for Yuu, to ask him what her assignment was, and, after a few seconds, found him flipping through a recipe book.

"Ah, Amu!" he exclaimed, looking up and adjusting his glasses. Amu remembered that glasses had been all the rage a couple of years ago. Of course, no one needed glasses; they all had perfect vision. But accessories were very popular since their clothes were all the same. Looking around, she saw that Shinku wore red ribbons to tie up her hair, and, in fact, Amu was in the habit of wearing an X-shaped hair clip that had been her mother's before her. Shaking herself from her thoughts, the young woman turned her attention back to her Senior. "Would you please prepare a couple loaves of bread? With sesame seeds? Thanks."

Bread- it was fairly easy to make. They were testing her skills at following a recipe, coordination, and intuition to know when something was fully cooked. Amu nodded and immediately set to work. She was a little bit nervous, but once she actually got started, the world disappeared, and she knew exactly what to do. Cooking came as naturally to her as breathing.

Once the loaves were in the oven, Amu looked around the spacious kitchen, and was filled with awe. _This is what the Chosen brings to all of us; food and life from the Chooser._ She remembered the stories about the days before the commorancy, when everyone lived aboveground and no one was perfect. There were blemishes and defects and no cures for sicknesses. People would starve because they didn't ask the Chooser for help, because they were too proud to offer their lives as payment to Him. They thought they could do everything on their own. But then the commorancy was formed and all of the faithful moved underground while the aboveground was smote by the Chooser. And the Chooser was good to the commorancy, and each Chosen's life brought health and prosperity to everyone for a whole year. She got a chill as she thought of the young man she had met, Ikuto. She had never actually _known_ the Chosen before.

Amu knew he was going to die.

_But look at all the good he will bring,_ she thought, staring at the kitchen's plentiful store of food.

Somehow, it didn't make her feel any better.

Amu typed out the code to get into her family's rooms and pushed open the door, her face practically glowing. "Amu!" yelled a girlish voice, and a small body slammed into her.

Amu laughed and returned her little sister's hug. Ami was ten years old, eight years younger than Amu, with curly brown hair and a specialty in singing. She was, in Amu's opinion, the cutest girl alive. "Hi, Ami."

"Amu, honey," Hinamori Midori said warmly, smiling and opening her arms for a hug. "Congratulations." Amu broke free from Ami and embraced her mother while her father fluttered around them, crying and saying, "My little girl! My little bird! My baby is all grown up!" Midori held her daughter at arm's length and looked at her. Finally, she said, "A chef. Just like you wanted. We're so proud."

Amu blushed. "Thank you."

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist as Ami said sweetly, "You're the best, Amu. It's so great that you got the job that you wanted. Can I come visit you?"

The pinkette let out a small laugh. "You know you're not really supposed to do that."

"Okay," Ami mumbled into Amu's shoulder. "That's fine. But Amu will definitely bring me home a couple of sweets from the kitchens, right?"

"Maybe." She smiled indulgently at her little sister, and Midori took charge. "All right, everyone. It's time for eveningmeal!" Normally, Amu would still be working, but since it was her first day and all, she got to come home and celebrate with her family. At their eveningmeal, they would be allowed to have alcoholic drinks and desert as well.

"All right!" Ami cheered. "Treats!"

Amu's family was fairly close to the surface, only the second floor down. However, not even they had ever seen anything outside the commorancy. And who would want to? After all, the aboveground was a barren wasteland. The four of them walked down the hallways of the living sector until they came across an option to go left to the work sector or right to the cafeteria and the living sector elevators.

Turning to the right, they pushed open the doors of the cafeteria for floor two and each grabbed a tray. "Eat healthy!" reminded the signs. "Don't take more than your share!" Obediently, all of the people in line took one portion of meat, one of vegetables, and a glass of water. Amu felt special as she selected an additional glass of wine and a piece of chocolate cake. The only other times she'd had special occasions like this was when she and Ami had entered classes at age eight, and every year on her creationday.

"To Amu, who is now an adult!" Midori said, raising her glass of wine.

"To Amu!" Ami and Tsumugusu responded. The glasses clinked. Everyone drank, Ami sipping happily on her cider, but Amu made a face when the wine touched her lips.

"What is it?" her dad asked.

"Ugh," Amu coughed. "It's sort of gross."

"That's right," her mom commented as she cut up her meat into slices. "This is the first time you've had wine, isn't it?"

Amu shrugged. "I guess I just don't really have a taste for it. I'll just stick with cider on special occasions." _Yuck. _She couldn't imagine why everyone liked it so much.

Still, the chocolate cake more than made up for the taste of the wine. _Yum!_

"That was so good!" Ami chirped as Amu pressed the up arrow on the elevator. "I'm so full!" The four of them entered the elevator and held it open while another family, the Soumas, got in.

"Hi, Kukai." Amu grinned.

"Hinamori!" Kukai exclaimed and ruffled her hair. "So you're a cook?"

"Yes," Amu said happily. "You're a fitness coach?"she asked, looking at his pin; their parents started to chat in the background. Amu was happy that Kukai got a job that fit his energetic personality. "You must be happy. You love kids, and running around. It's a perfect fit!"

The doors slid open and her mom reminded them, "Come on, now. It's almost eight-o-clock. We don't want to be late."

"Right," Kukai said with a wink. "See ya later, Hinamori!"

They stepped into the giant room and faced the man on the throne. In just a few minutes, the room was filled. Amu caught sight of Ikuto in the crowd, standing with two people who must have been his parents. She wanted to wave, but he wasn't facing her, and, of course, that would be improper. What little noise remaining soon ceased, and the room was perfectly quiet as the figure on the throne rose. Then, a strong voice called out, "All glory and honor to the King!"

"All glory and honor to the King!" the crowd dutifully chanted. "All glory and honor to the Chooser! May the Chooser protect our King!"

King Hikaru raised his hands. "Let us all celebrate! Our children have once again become adults. Job day is always a time of joy and honor."

"It is an honor to serve the commorancy," Amu said along with the other eighteen-year-olds, feeling a thrill to say those words at last. She heard Ikuto's voice and Kukai's voice and Rima's voice say them with her. "It is an honor to serve the Chooser."

"But of course, we could not all live so happily and safely without the sacrifice of others."

"It is an honor to give my life for the commorancy," Ikuto's voice said alone, quiet and clear in the silence. "It is an honor to give my life for the Chooser." Amu wondered why she hadn't recognized his voice when she met him; he'd said those words every night for a month now, the month since the Choosing had taken place. But tonight it struck a chord in her- something deep and lonely and it felt like her soul was reaching out of her body and aching for _something_ and-

Then the crowd called out, "Long live the King! Praise the Chooser!"

Amu tried not to cry.

**Author's note: Well, here's chapter 1. First off, I don't own Shugo Chara. The title comes from Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet; Shinku comes from one of Peach Pit's other works, Rozen Maiden; and the word "commorancy" was taken from Diane Duane's So You Want to Be a Wizard series, specifically, book 8, Wizards at War. So basically, I own nothing.**

**I don't even really own the idea. I know it's certainly been done before, the idea of a "perfect" society, but I just started working on this last year and haven't stopped since. Hopefully, even if I don't add anything new to this topic, it will at least be an interesting/enjoyable read. I also wanted to provide a more serious side to the amuto pairing while still developing their relationship and trying to keep them as **_**them**_**. As this is (obviously) an alternate universe, some characters might be slightly out of character at certain parts of this story. I'll try to keep them as in-character as I can.**

**Lastly, regarding the religious aspects of this fic: there will be a lot. It is a central theme of the story. The views expression in this fanfiction are not necessarily my views. I happen to be Roman Catholic, but this religion where they worship the "Chooser" is not based on a real, existing religion in our world. It was more that I wanted to see what kind of religion might develop in a society like theirs and how it would affect their lives. I sincerely hope that no one is made uncomfortable by this, or thinks that I am somehow trying to shove religion/religious values down their throats, as, again, this is entirely fictitious. **

**Thank you! Reviews would be greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ikuto!" Amu cheerfully called out as he pushed open the second floor cafeteria doors. She raised her hand and dropped it as Ikuto caught sight of her. "Hi," she said, suddenly shy, once he was standing in front of her. And then… Nothing. Her mind drew up blank. She'd only practiced as far as saying "hi" again, which might not have been the best plan of action. _Plan of action…? What am I, some primitive abovegrounder fighting a war? _Her stomach felt like it was fighting a war of its own, flipping and flopping all over the place, as if she were about to take some important test rather than just talk to some guy.

"Hey, Amu," he said with a little smirk. Seeing she hadn't either moved or said anything since her first greeting, he continued, asking, "Do you want something to eat?" It was a gentle bit of teasing- why are we standing here if we were supposed to meet for middlemeal?

"Yeah, of course." Amu scowled at him, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him toward the tables of food. She was beginning to pick up her middlemeal when she dimly realized his hand was still in hers, and she didn't know what to do, should she drop it, would he think she was weird, she was being _ridiculous_, it wasn't like this was the first time she'd liked a guy, she was acting like a child-

Almost imperceptibly, his fingers tightened around hers. Amu's lips stretched into a grin.

"So you're an artist?" she asked as they sat down, eyeing the symbol pinned to his chest.

"Yep," he said, playing with the sleeve of his shirt, probably absentmindedly, touching the marking on his wrist. It was making Amu feel a little sick, like her food was paper in her mouth. And then she felt guilty for thinking that. Being Chosen was a wonderful thing- an honor. _At least it will be painless_, she thought with relief. The poison Ikuto had been administered would act slowly and, without pain, would kill him six months from now.

No pain. It was for the greater good.

_You never had any problem with this before._

"Are you okay?" Ikuto said, sounding a little concerned, and she realized she'd been silent for far too long. The young woman dug a fork into her food and smiled.

"Uh… what are you working on?"

"A mural. Painting the walls in work sector nine." He looked coolly nonchalant, like it was no big deal, but already she could tell that it was.

"Can I see it?"

"It's not finished."

"Of course not," Amu grinned. "It's only been six days. Can I please look at it with you?"

"You're a very nosy person," Ikuto said. But he was smiling faintly, and Amu could tell that he was sort of happy. By now they were finished eating, so they set their plates on the pile and headed for the work sector elevator.

"I heard you last night, at the Daily Praise Ceremony," Amu said quietly.

"Yeah?" Ikuto seemed to close up a bit. "Well, I say it every night."

"No… I…" She looked at him and blinked her big, golden eyes; she bit her lip. "I heard _you_."

He stopped suddenly and looked at her with unreadable eyes. "And what was it like?"

"It made me feel sort of… lonely…" She was quiet for a moment, and then started. "I- I'm sorry! That was a weird thing to say, wasn't it?" Her face burned with embarrassment.

"Nah… It's okay," Ikuto said, and he seemed so much older than her in that moment. "I guess it is a bit… lonely…" He gave her a sad smile, more a crinkling of his eyes and a slight upward turn of his lips than anything else; and she really liked how his smiles had to be pulled out of him, one by one, like they were gifts, a bright spot of color in a dreary world of white…

They started moving again, to the elevator, where Amu pressed the down button, and then they stepped inside.

Going down.

3…

4…

5…

6…

7…

8…

9.

Ikuto led the way, guiding her to the left, then right, then left again. Finally, they were standing in front of a wall on which the beginnings of a painting were starting to form. Slowly, Amu approached the wall and touched the not-quite white shapes that were beginning to take shape there. "It's so intricate," she breathed, seeing the layers upon careful layers. "They look so soft." The pinkette looked back at him. "What are they?"

"Wings."

"Like from the stories in the library? 'Bird' wings?" Amu asked, curious.

"No. Angel wings," Ikuto replied quietly.

"What… are angels?" she questioned hesitantly, moving to stand closer to him.

"Messengers of the Chooser. Beings of light with brilliant white wings," he confessed in a hushed voice, like it was a secret. "It was… from a book." Now he went up and touched the mural. "It sounded beautiful. I wanted to paint it."

"How do you do it?" Amu asked in awe.

Now Ikuto picked up a brush with no paint on it. "It's a certain type of brush stroke; then you outline it in gray and light blue to make it stand out from the wall." He looked back at her. "Here- try it."

Amu blushed. "I can't. I'll just mess it up."

"Don't worry, there's no paint on it. Look, it's like this." He demonstrated the stroke. "C'mere." Amu stood next to him, took the paintbrush, and hesitantly imitated what he'd done. "That's good," Ikuto said, "but try to hold your hand more like _this_." He put his hand over hers and guided the stroke. "Now, try again."

She did it again, the way he'd told her. "Like this?"

"Yeah, that's good. Do it again?" Amu repeated the motion, and he grinned at her. "You're a natural. You'll be better than me in no time. Do you want to try it for real?"

"R-really?" Amu exclaimed. "But-"

He dipped the brush into the white paint and handed it to her. "You know how to do it. And besides- it's white paint." So she didn't worry about it. She just put the brush to the wall. And it felt good- natural. "Looks good," he said; it was true. Amu's strokes looked pretty similar to the ones Ikuto had already made.

"I guess it's the same feeling I get when I cook… like I made something. Created something," she said, giving him back the paintbrush. "Thank you."

They looked at each other for a moment.

"D'you wanna go somewhere with me?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, like she'd been waiting for him to ask that question, even though she hadn't. Amu grabbed Ikuto's hand. "Let's go." Then, as they were waiting for the elevator to arrive, "Do you want to meet my sister?"

"Yeah. I'd like that." Amu pressed the button for the second floor and then closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of Ikuto's hand in hers.

-likefireandgunpowder-

Break days alternated for different age groups. All children still in school got two days off, while adults got one. When they were a year older, the day was shifted a day later, and so on and so forth. Because of this, Ikuto and Amu had their break day at the same time as one of Ami's two days.

Amu typed in the code to their rooms and pushed open the door. "Ami?" she called out as she stepped through the door.

"Amu!" Ami jumped up from the table. "I was doing my homework 'cuz I didn't do it yesterday." Then she saw Ikuto. "Amu, is this your boyfr-"

The pinkette shoved her hand in Ami's face. "Shut up, Ami. This is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Ikuto, this is my little sister, Ami."

"Hey, Ami," he said, sticking out his hand. "Nice to meet you." He might not have been smiling, but his eyes were warm and his voice was friendly. Besides, Amu got the feeling that Ikuto didn't really smile a lot.

"Hey," Ami said back, shaking his hand. "Wow! You're an artist? That's so cool. I like to sing." The brunette hesitated, looking between them. "Um, are you gonna stay? Would it be all right if I came to eveningmeal with you guys, if you are?"

"Well," Ikuto said coolly, crossing his arms. "What do you say, Amu? Should we let her join us?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't recall inviting _you_," the young woman snickered. "Yeah, Ami, you can come. Of course." Then she glanced sideways at Ikuto. "I guess you could come as well…" She sighed loudly.

He smirked. "I think I would stick around even if you _didn't _want me to. Someone has to make sure you don't run into a wall or something."

Amu flushed red. "That was an accident!" she blurted. "It doesn't normally happen!" While getting out of the elevator, she had tripped and fallen on her face, much to her embarrassment (and Ikuto's amusement).

"Yes, it does," Ami remarked. "She's very clumsy. Except when she cooks." Of course, after this, Amu had no choice but to grab her by the shirt collar and give her a noogie. "Amuuuu!" Ami giggled. "Stop!" Still laughing, Amu turned to look at Ikuto, but he was watching them with a strange expression on his face. She immediately let go.

"You have a lovely home," he said mildly, looking around.

"Thank you!" Ami chirped. She was a cheerful girl by nature, and easily excitable.

"Um," Amu said, lightly touching Ikuto's arm, "would you like to play a game with me and Ami?" She bit her lip. "It'll be fun."

"Okay," he said, sitting down. "You're on."

-likefireandgunpowder-

Amu took a deep breath, trying to get her nerve up. She clenched and unclenched her fists; let out the breath. "If you're going to do it, just go," came Shinku's calm voice from behind her. Amu yelped, startled, and whirled around. "Oh, my," Shinku remarked. "You _are _easily frightened."

The young woman breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand over her racing heart. "Oh… Shinku. Y-you scared me!"

Shinku shook her head, causing her spiral twintails to sway slightly back and forth. "Stupid girl. What are you waiting for? She's nothing to be scared of. Go."

"Okay," Amu said, determined, and walked up to Rima before she could talk herself out of it. "Hey, Rima!" she said, trying to sound friendly. "How are you? I was wondering if you wanted to get together for morningmeal on break day? To get to know each other?"

The petite blonde coldly stared her down. "Are you stupid?"

Amu looked off to the side. "Why is everyone calling me stupid today?" she muttered under her breath, before turning to face Rima again. "Um, Rima… I'd really like to get to know you- I want to be friends. Or, if not, at least we can talk about work," she pleaded earnestly. "Are you adjusting well? Maybe we could compare tips. If I'm being annoying, then you can tell me to go away, but I want us to get to know each other." Amu had been trying to win over Rima for a week now, and the other chefs were extremely amused. They pretended not to be looking up from whatever food they were preparing, hiding their grins.

Then: "You're too innocent. I guess I'm going to have to look after you and make sure you don't do anything stupid," Rima said, cheeks flushing like she was embarrassed. Amu grinned. "But don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I want to be your friend or anything, stupid girl."

"Okay," Amu agreed indulgently. "We can meet up for morningmeal and hang out until middlemeal." She paused, blushing a bit. "I've got somewhere I need to be."

"And why are you blushing?" Rima asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I-I'm not!" Amu exclaimed, even as her face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Yes, you are," Shinku said calmly as she lifted a spoon to her mouth, testing the soup.

Nikaidou butted in, laying a hand on Amu and Rima's shoulders, one hand considerably lower than the other, due to the height difference. "Now, now," he laughed. "I'm glad you girls are bonding, but we have work to do! We have a meal to prepare."

Amu nodded and hurried to get to work; in the past week she had more than proved her skill and talent, and she didn't want to lose Nikaidou's respect. By now, she knew her way around the kitchen by heart. The pinkette quickly flitted from place to place, collecting the ingredients she needed. Right now the job fell to her to prepare a desert for the person whose creationday was today. Dessert- a rare treat.

The young woman began to shape the pie crust. It was at times like this, with delicious scents and familiar faces swirling around her, cocooning her, that she felt a great rush of awe and love for the Chooser. He gave them all this food and kept them alive. It was the least she could do: to serve the commorancy, and, through it, the Chooser.

It was at times like these that she was perfectly at peace with the Choosing, with the fate of the Chosen. _How beautiful_, Amu thought. _How beautiful a person must be to give themselves for us and for the Chooser, a willing and joyful sacrifice, good springing from their act like a thousand glimmering lights._

**Author's note: Hey, everyone! Here's another quick update. I have the first few chapters already written, so it won't take too long for them to appear, but I don't know about after that. This story won't be very long, though. Probably under ten chapters.**

**About the scene dividers, the ones I used last chapter somehow didn't show up, so I made these. This is a reference to the lines from which the title is taken, from Romeo and Juliet: "These violent delights have violent ends. Like fire and gunpowder, which, as they kiss, consume."**

**To my reviewers… You seriously do not know how incredibly happy you made me. My writing really isn't that amazing to deserve all of those beautiful compliments, but it made me so happy to get them anyway. I almost cried when I saw them. I was so amazed that someone thought so highly of my work. And it's been such a loving effort. This is the piece I'm most proud of so far in my writing career, although I deleted all of the awful ones from a few years ago from my profile, so I'm pretty happy with the ones that are there- some more than others. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. I'm sure you don't want to read it **

**Key to the Rose-Colored Clock: Wow! You're Catholic, too? That really made me excited to hear. I'm always afraid to mention it on the internet because I'm scared I'll offend someone… But I figured it was relevant for the story, you know? Anyways, thanks so much for your review. It was the one that almost made me cry; it was so kind.**

**Mrs. Flamer: I don't know if you're going to continue watching this fic or not, but I thought I'd respond anyways. I was so honored that you liked my story and didn't find any major flaws, especially since critiquing is what you do. Thank you for your review telling me what you liked about it. And in response to your question, I'm the same age as you. Although I'm definitely not bilingual…**


	3. Chapter 3

Amu lay on her back on the Library floor, breathing quietly, palms facing up as Ikuto drew on her hand. "Can you believe we only met a month ago?" she asked drowsily. He paused in his illustration, his dark eyes focusing on her amber ones. "I feel like I've known you for years."

Ikuto's lips quirked up in a smile. "Well, technically, we've only spent four days together. We're practically strangers."

That pulled a laugh out of her. "You know what I mean."

"Of course I do," he said, now serious. He resumed drawing, occasionally glancing at the book he was getting the image from. His next words were so quiet she almost didn't hear them. "It's like a thousand days in each instant."

"Yeah," she whispered, nothing else needing to be said. She felt blissfully peaceful, lying there in the Library with Ikuto sitting next to her.

She was starting to like him a lot more than she felt comfortable admitting.

"Okay," Ikuto announced, "it's finished. You can look now." Amu sat up and peered at her hand curiously.

"What is it?"

He brought her closer so she could see the illustration in the book. "It's a bird," he explained. Glancing between her hand and the book, Amu could definitely tell it was the same creature. However, the one on her palm had its wings spread. "Whenever you're feeling angry or upset, just close your hand and think of this bird, and you can fly away. Really, it's just a reminder of me for when you're upset or sad. So I can comfort you, even if I'm not there."

_Even if I'm not there. _Already he was planning for his death.

He still had five months left.

Amu stared at the pen-drawn creature and closed her hand over it. She felt all jumbled up inside and there was no right answer but Ikuto. Ikuto, sitting next to her. Ikuto who gave her wings so she could fly away. Ikuto with the

deep

deep

eyes.

She kissed him in the bright library, surrounded by an orderly maze of books, her heart pounding sosoloud, the only thing she could hear. And then they drew apart, and he leaned his forehead against hers. "I'm gonna die," he whispered.

"I know."

"We can't get married, even if we want to. We're not old enough."

"Yeah."

"If we stop this right now," he tried again, "it might not go anywhere."

"Do you want it to go somewhere?" she whispered right back, touching his face.

Ikuto turned his head to the side so he could kiss her palm, even as he murmured, "What I want doesn't matter."

With shaking fingers, Amu wrote on his hand: _I want to be with you._ The pen clattered to the floor as he took her into his arms and kissed her.

-likefireandgunpowder-

"…mu! Amu!" The pinkette jumped, the spoon falling from her slender fingers. "Pay attention!" Nikaidou scowled and nodded at the soup she was supposed to be stirring.

The young cook flushed as pink as her hair. "Sorry, Senior!" She hurriedly grabbed the spoon and stirred the soup a couple times. Still blushing, she set down the utensil and touched her lips.

"You've been out of it today," Shinku remarked from where she was chopping vegetables.

"U-um, no, it's nothing," Amu stuttered.

Rima narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Hmm." Amu avoided her new friend's penetrating gaze by stirring the soup again. Her thoughts were filled with Ikuto- she couldn't wait for break day to see him again. _Maybe I can go visit him… But I don't know where he lives, _she thought, absently stirring.

_That was my first kiss_, she thought with some amount of wonder. _I kissed Ikuto. _The idea seemed like a strange, unbelievable dream to her, something thrilling and wonderful and terrible. She looked at the bird on her hand, but she was not upset in the slightest, so she kept her hand wide open, feeling distraction and anxious longing and unbelievable happiness, like she was bursting open at the seams with emotion.

Amu moved through the day on autopilot, mechanically going through the motions of cooking, her mind elsewhere, with Ikuto. _I wonder how he is_, she thought as she exited the work sector and took the elevator back to her family's rooms. _How's his mural? Is he thinking of me? _She keyed in the passcode and pushed open the door, sinking into a chair at the table where her eveningmeal sat waiting for her. "Welcome home, Amu," Midori greeted her, giving her daughter a hug from behind.

"Hi, Mom," Amu sighed. "Thanks for bringing my eveningmeal for me like this." As she was needed in the kitchen, Amu had an early, make-your-own morningmeal. After that, all the chefs were needed to prepare food, so it wasn't until after eveningmeal was cleaned up that she got to go home and eat. That meant that, despite small tastes of the food she was preparing all day, there was a long period of time where she didn't have anything to eat, resulting in her coming home very hungry. The pinkette dug in eagerly.

"Of course," her mother replied. "You must be starving."

Amu grinned. "Just a little," she laughed.

"Well, your father already went to bed," Midori said from the doorway. "I'm going to sleep as well. Don't stay up too late." Then she smiled. "Sorry. I forgot- you're an adult now. You'll be moving out in a couple years. You don't need me to mother you."

"A little mothering is sometimes good."

Her mom smiled. "All right, then. Don't stay up too late."

A little while later, Amu got up from the table and began to make her way in the direction of her room, ready for bed. On the way, however, her eyes caught on something hanging on the wall that she normally took for granted. Her movements slowed; her footsteps faltered. The young woman paused.

Regal features. High eyebrows. White hair. A surprisingly young face, despite his immense age. Amu stared at the obligatory portrait of King Hikaru in their home.

She wondered why he was so beloved by everyone.

-likefireandgunpowder-

Amu woke to the sound of a soft rapping on the door. "Amu." The whisper floated through the darkness.

"Mmm," the chef groaned, letting out a yawn. Then, with a jolt, she realized who the voice had belonged to. She scrambled out of bed, trying to be quiet, and threw open the door. "Ikuto!" she whispered.

"Can you come with me?" he said quietly. "I want to show you something."

"Okay," Amu agreed, suddenly wide awake. Her hand sought his in the darkness and found it. In the dimly lit hallway, she could see his lips form a smile. "Why are we going in the middle of the night?" she asked.

"It's the only time you _can_ go." That was the end of that line of inquiry.

Amu blinked in surprise as he led her into the work sector, where the bright light of the elevator made her wince. Ikuto jabbed the button for the eleventh floor, and they began to descend. "Is this allowed?" she questioned.

He glanced at her and smirked. "Have you ever been told that we're _not _allowed to leave our rooms at night?"

"Point taken," she conceded. The door slid open on the dark hallway; since it was the work sector and not the living sector, no lights were lit. They stepped out of the elevator, and it closed behind them, leaving them in pitch darkness. Ikuto released her hand. "Where are you?" Amu breathed. She had the queerest feeling that he had disappeared, that the commorancy had disappeared and she was the only person in the world.

"Lay down," he whispered.

Amu slid to the floor and his hand closed over hers. She felt like she was floating in a sea of nothingness, the only proof that Ikuto was with her being the warmth of his hand and his quiet breathing. Other than that, everything was silent.

"This is real darkness," he whispered. "Real silence… It's a good place to be alone."

There was something so peaceful about it, she had to agree. "Yeah," she murmured.

"You're the second person I've taken here."

A tense silence. "Second?"

"My sister."

Amu could breathe again. They lay silently next to each other for a while.

"It's a good place to be alone together as well," he said quietly. "If that makes sense."

"Yeah, it does." Amu tried to put what she was feeling into words. "I can feel you, but I can't see you. It's almost like our bodies don't exist. Like… our souls are touching."

**Author's note: Hey, everyone! Here's Chapter 3. It took a bit longer than expected because I didn't have access to my laptop all Christmas break, and that's where this was saved. However, it's here now!**

**I hope you don't think their relationship is moving along to fast. I wanted to display that, yes, they had physical attraction to each other, but, more than that, a deep spiritual/emotional bond was beginning to form- the kind of love that could eventually transcend separation or death.**

**En ar Ciel: Thank you thank you thank you for the lovely compliments! Your comments made me so incredibly happy; I never thought anyone would like my story so much, and it just makes me feel proud of how far I've come as writer. Besides the actual content of the review, I was so excited to see who left it, because I actually really adore your writing- especially SC: Stardust! And if I didn't leave a review, I apologize! I meant to. (Hint: it's amazing beyond belief.) **


	4. Chapter 4

Amu walked down the hallway, coming home after a long day at work. She absently brushed a strand of pink hair out of her face, moving at a moderate pace- not slowly, but not quickly, either. _How lucky I am_, she thought, _to have been so blessed by the Chooser. I have the job I enjoy the most. We are well off. My family cares for me very much… And I have Ikuto_, she continued as she sent up a quick prayer of thanksgiving.

_Speaking of Ikuto…_ she thought wryly as she glimpsed the dark figure leaning against the wall by her door. "Ikuto!" she cried out gleefully, throwing her arms around him.

He stumbled back, hitting the wall. "Whoa," he laughed. "Careful. You wouldn't want to spill your eveningmeal all over the place, would you?"

"Mm," Amu said with excitement, pulling away. "You got my eveningmeal for me?"

"Yep. I came and got it from your mother," he said, handing over the package. Then he laced his fingers with hers. "It's all part of my evil plan to kidnap you."

"Abducting me, are you?"

"Yes. The food's drugged."

Amu's bread paused on its way to her mouth; then she smiled. "You're not very good at being evil, are you? You're not supposed to _tell_ your victim." She popped the morsel into her mouth.

"But really," Ikuto continued, "I _am_ going to kidnap you, if you don't mind. Let's walk."

"I'm all yours," Amu said, her words hinting at a meaning that went beyond the current conversation. Looking at him, she could tell he understood. He looked like he didn't know whether to smile or frown. In the end, he did neither, and instead tightened his grip on her hand.

They wandered all over, quietly talking. It seemed unfathomable to her that this young man, already so dear to her after just a month, had only five months left in the world. Five months to live, breathe, feel, eat, speak. And then no more.

-likefireandgunpowder-

The two young women nodded and smiled as they passed each other in the hallway coming out of the home sector on the second floor. Amu had known Yuiki Yaya, though they hadn't been close. After all, you got to know the people on your floor who were your age very quickly. With a quick glance at the brunette's pin, Amu realized Yaya had become a teacher.

_Ah! _Amu thought with some surprise. That meant Yaya and Kukai were working in the same place. That didn't happen too often. She grinned to herself. At least the two friends got to see each other every day.

Out of habit, the chef glanced down at her hand; however, the drawing of the bird was already fading away. She frowned. Closed her hand.

Continued on.

-likefireandgunpowder-

"Come on," Ikuto insisted. "We can make it a picnic and you can eat there. I want you to see it."

"Okay," Amu replied with suppressed excitement. This had become a habit; Ikuto would wait outside her door with Amu's eveningmeal in hand. Then they would roam the halls together for hours until she dropped into bed, exhausted but happy. Today, though, was different. Ikuto's mural was finished.

The pinkette alternated between biting her lip and grinning at Ikuto as the elevator sunk floor by floor to level nine. She was even more excited than she normally would have been; at Ikuto's insistence, she hadn't seen the painting since the first time. He'd said he would rather she saw the finished version so it would be more of a surprise. "I'm excited," Amu whispered, voice hushed with anticipation.

His returning look was amused. "I'm not sure if it's going to be quite up to your expectations."

They continued down the hall, left, right, left again. As Amu began to say, "I'm sure it will be," she suddenly stopped short, in both speech and motion.

Complete silence.

Amu took a few hesitant steps forward.

She had been preparing herself for the mural to be good. In fact, she expected nothing short of amazing from Ikuto's work. But time had dulled the memory, and really, it had only just begun when she had last seen it.

What she saw before her could only be described as ethereal. The giant, lovely wings spread across the wall, like something unreal, strange, wonderful. "Beautiful…" she murmured. She turned and smiled at the man next to her. "You truly are blessed by the Chooser."

Keeping her golden eyes on his dark ones, she backed up until her back hit the wall. She saw the moment when Ikuto's breath caught in his throat. Looked to the side. Saw the gorgeous wings behind her, as if they were exploding from her back, straining to take flight. "Beautiful." It was Ikuto who whispered it this time.

He wasn't talking about the painting.

Amu wrapped her arms around his neck, and he brought his lips down to meet hers. When they pulled apart, Amu's fingers didn't seem to want to let go: one hand wound into his blue hair, the other curled around the white fabric of his shirt. Ikuto leaned his forehead against hers. "We're in the work sector," he whispered. "Anyone can see."

"R-right," Amu agreed, releasing him, her cheeks pink and flushed. "Um… Let's eat. If we stay off to the side, we won't bother the people passing by who are going home." They sank to the ground, Ikuto laying out Amu's eveningmeal between them.

The young chef began to eat as she turned something over in her mind. "Hey, Ikuto…" she said hesitantly.

"Hmm?" he looked at her questioningly.

"I, uh… I haven't met your family."

"No," he said, after a moment. "You haven't." She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. _Does he not want me to meet them? _Amu thought anxiously. _Does he not trust me? Is he embarrassed by me? _The happy feeling she'd had only a moment before had been replaced by a lead weight in the pit of her stomach. She stared down at her eveningmeal, suddenly not hungry.

Ikuto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look," he mumbled. "It's not that I don't want you to meet them. Now's just not a good time, okay? So… don't think that this is because of you. Okay? 'Cuz it's not."

Amu hadn't really thought about how Ikuto's family would be dealing with Ikuto being Chosen. Even if they were proud of him, they would still be losing their son. And at such a young age, too. _I've been so selfish… _she thought uneasily. _Only thinking about how __**I **__was going to miss him. _So she smiled and said, "all right," and continued to eat.

-likefireandgunpowder-

The pinkette quietly washed each fruit before placing a few on each waiting plate. Strawberries, they were called. The Chooser liked to smile upon them and shower them with all sorts of fruits, especially during the time between the Choosing and the death of the Chosen. It was as if He was saying, "Look how you have pleased me."

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Amu popped a strawberry into her mouth. "Mmm…" she sighed in delight.

"Sneaking a taste?" Shinku asked, amused. Amu almost choked. The blonde woman reached over and patted her fellow chef on the back as she coughed.

"Y-you scared me!" Amu wheezed when she had recovered her breath.

"Only because you overreact to everything," Rima remarked as she passed by.

"Oh, thanks!" Amu joked good naturedly. She smiled and went back to working. _Thank you, Chooser. Thank you for my friends. Thank you for my job, for my family. And_, she thought wryly, _thank you for the strawberries._

-likefireandgunpowder-

Amu lay curled up against Ikuto in the dark hallway. She let out a sigh of contentment, perfectly happy in that moment. _Four months_, she thought. _I still have four more months, to be together with him like this._

"Amu?" he asked quietly.

"Yes?" she replied, opening her eyes, but unable to really see anything in the dark.

For a moment, he didn't speak.

Then, a whisper, floating out of the darkness: "My sister is sick."

"Oh," was all Amu could manage. How rare it was, for someone to get sick in the commorancy. Well, perhaps if they took her to see a Healer…

"She needs surgery." His grip on her tightened. " We couldn't afford it."

_Couldn't afford it? That's right. Surgeries were expensive. Not just anyone could have an organ miraculously replaced by the Chooser. But it's so terrible that-_

_Oh._

_**Oh.**_

"Ikuto?" she asked, voice cracking, disentangling herself from his arms. "You didn't-"

He was silent, confirming her worst fears.

_And of course the families of the Chosen were given extra food and money for their loss…_

Food and money…

More than enough money to pay for a surgery.

Amu couldn't seem to take in enough air. It felt as if her lungs were being squeezed. "Oh my…" she sobbed. "You never wanted to die, did you? You never wanted to be Chosen."

…_my sister is the most precious person in the world to me…_

She felt like she was going to throw up.

_Why, he's so young! Barely even legal…_

_The Choosing was completely voluntary. And it was an honor, after all- the greatest honor possible._

Somehow this made the whole thing seem sickening and horrifying. Giving up your life, not because you wanted to, but for _money_. Money for a surgery. "How…" she tried to say, but had to start over. "How can you measure one life against another?" Her whole body trembled. "How can you just… just say… 'Your life has more value than mine.' How can anyone _measure_ that?" she cried out in anguish.

The thought that Ikuto might have lived… That they might have gotten married, grew up together, had children… and now it was all impossible… It made her want to scream with grief.

"Wouldn't you have done the same?" he whispered brokenly, reaching out to touch her face.

Amu's breath caught. Would she have? If Ami had been sick… wouldn't she do the same? The tension drained out of her, and she melted into Ikuto's arms. "Are you all right?" she murmured.

He clutched her closer to himself. "It doesn't matter," he whispered. "It doesn't matter if I'm all right."

**Author's note: Aww, poor Ikuto! You sweet, self-sacrificing guy. **

**So, this hopefully explains his actions a bit more clearly. Before, we might have thought we had the whole picture, but we really didn't. And who knows? Maybe it's still that way. **

**I hope they mostly stayed in character; though, of course, they live in a different world and thus would react in slightly different ways. For instance, Easter doesn't exist, so Ikuto isn't teasing Amu nearly as much to keep her at arms' length. (Though he does enjoy poking fun at her every once in a while, as her reactions are adorable.) He didn't want her to meet his family, because she didn't know about Utau's situation and the whole reason why he submitted himself for the Choosing (without his parents, knowing, by the way; they only found out after he'd been picked). Anyway, I really hope the last scene was believable in the way they reacted and interacted with each other. And I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for reading and I appreciate all of your reviews, favorites, alerts, or even just taking the time to read it!**


	5. Chapter 5

Break day- it was a day Amu both dreaded and anticipated. When it finally arrived, she hurried through her morningmeal, anxiously awaiting Ikuto's arrival. However, all that accomplished was giving her more time to sit around, restlessly awaiting middlemeal, only to wait once more. The pinkette filled her time by helping Ami with her homework and playing with her.

When at last she heard the tapping on the keypad and the swinging open of the door, Amu practically leapt up. "Ikuto!" she blurted, and hurried to his side.

"Hey Amu," he said, smirking and trying to be lighthearted. She could sense the anxiety in his eyes, though. "Ready to go?"

"Of course," she said, her smile genuine. Biting her lip, Amu bade farewell to Ami and, twining their hands, followed Ikuto out the door.

"You sure about this?" he asked as they walked toward the living sector elevators.

"Absolutely." Amu nodded firmly. She hesitated as Ikuto pressed the button for the fifth floor and the elevator lurched downwards. "Do you think they'll like me?" she finally managed to ask in a timid voice.

Ikuto's blue eyes flicked over to her golden ones in surprise. "Of course they will." He seemed shocked that she would even ask. "The only reason I haven't taken you to see them until now was because I hadn't told you about Utau yet."

When, at last (it seemed to Amu), they were in front of his door, Ikuto only hesitated a second. He gazed at Amu, squeezed her hand, and then typed in the code. "It's 4-9-1-1-3. You got that?" Amu's stomach flipped at his returning of the gesture. Giving her his house code meant that not only was she trusted, but she was welcome anytime. She had given him hers just recently, and it made her heart beat faster to receive his in return.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I got that." 49113. She burned it into her mind.

Ikuto turned the handle and the door swung open. The blonde woman sitting at the table looked up at the sound and smiled swiftly when she saw them. "Hello, Ikuto," she said as she rose. "Welcome back."

"Ikuto!" a man called out, emerging from one of the rooms. He grinned. "And who might this lovely young lady be? Perhaps the enchanting Amu?"

The pinkette blushed furiously. "I told you she gets embarrassed easily," Ikuto said.

"Sh-shut up!" Amu whacked him on the arm, face even brighter than before.

Ikuto turned to the man and woman. "Yes, this is Hinamori Amu. Amu, these people are Souko and Aruto, my mother and father." Looking at them, Amu could easily see the resemblance. Ikuto had inherited Aruto's blue hair and dark eyes (and, apparently, love of music, judging by the music teacher pin on Aruto's shirt), while his bone structure and face were clearly closer to Souko's.

"It's so wonderful to finally meet you," Souko greeted her kindly.

Amu shook both of their hands. "Thank you. I'm pleased to meet you at last." She paused delicately. "Um… Where is…?"

"Ah… Utau?" Aruto finished her trailed off sentence. With a quick, almost unnoticeable glance at Ikuto, who nodded almost imperceptibly, he told her, "She's in her bedroom."

"Oh!" Amu bit her lip. "Is she sleeping? I'm sorry…"

"No, she's not," Ikuto said, taking her by the elbow and guiding her to one of the doors. "It's difficult for her to walk," he explained quietly.

"I… I see…" That explained why she'd never seen Utau with her family at the Daily Promise Ceremony. Amu smiled nervously. _Please, Chooser. Please don't let me mess this up by saying something stupid._

Ikuto politely rapped his knuckles on the door. "Utau? We're coming in." He waited a moment, and, receiving no reply, he assumed it was alright and let himself in. Souko and Aruto were watching gravely, the blonde woman's hand pressed over her heart. _No more hesitating_, she told herself, and followed Ikuto inside.

Once she stepped into the room, Amu's eyes widened. A beautiful, doll-like girl lay on the bed, her flaxen hair splayed out on the pillow where her head was resting. Her violet eyes were stunning in the same way Ikuto's were, with a kind of depth that sucked you in and stole your breath. There was no visible sign of her sickness, other than the fact that she was lying in bed and looked a bit fragile in a way that made you want to protect her, to rip your heart out of your own chest and give it to her, just to make her smile.

_Wow_… the chef thought. _If she wasn't his sister, I would be jealous._ Then she blushed at the absurd thought. "Um, hello!" she said cheerfully, once she could get her voice to work. "I'm Hinamori Amu. You must be Utau."

There was a short silence, in which everyone held their breath, before she replied. "Obviously."

"Uh, yes, I guess that was a stupid thing to say, wasn't it?" Amu laughed nervously. "I'm glad I finally get to meet you."

"You're pretty enough, but you don't seem like anyone special," Utau said bluntly. Ikuto tensed beside her.

"I… I suppose that I'm… not…"

The blonde kept her gaze fixed on the wall s she spoke. "If my brother brought you home, you must have done _something _right, though."

Ikuto's shoulders relaxed and he grinned. "Try a lot of things."

Amu didn't know how to handle Utau's straightforwardness and Ikuto's compliment. So, she did what she normally did: blushed. _This is ridiculous_, she thought furiously. _I'm eighteen and I'm blushing like a schoolgirl. _"Thank you… I think."

"But," the blonde threatened, glaring, "if you hurt my brother, I'll kill you."

Amu wasn't quite sure if she was kidding or not.

-likefireandgunpowder-

Ikuto glanced around nonchalantly. "You sure I'm supposed to be here?" he asked in his usual blunt manner.

Amu smiled flirtatiously, something she wouldn't have thought herself capable of a few months ago. "You're my guest. I brought you here."

Apparently, Ikuto was not immune to the effects of her smile. He stepped closer and gently rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb as he held her hand. Amu shivered- for two reasons. Here, surrounded by people, it seemed almost more intimate than simply kissing her in private.

But a small part of her, small enough to be ignored, also shivered because that was where the blue star was on _his _wrist.

"I- um- that is- fr… friends…" she stammered haltingly.

The dark-haired man smirked. "Could you repeat that?"

"Idiot!" Amu snatched her hand away, blushing. But one look into her eyes dispelled all notions of her being serious. After a moment, she looked back up at him through her eyelashes, feeling shy. "Um, I met your sister, so I thought you might want to meet my friends…?" The pinkette trailed off, hating the uncertainty in her voice.

"Your friends?" He seemed unfazed. "That sounds good. Right now?"

"Uh, yeah. Right now." At her request, Rima and Shinku had stayed behind after work was over. She was nervous, but thought they deserved to meet the man who'd stolen her heart. "D'you wanna go in?" she asked.

"Sure," he said. "Whenever you're ready." So, seeing no reason to delay, Amu pushed open the door to the kitchens once more, Ikuto following her inside.

"Hi, guys!" Amu said, trying to be cheerful and confident. "There's someone I want you to meet." Both of the waiting blondes' eyes fixed on the man standing next to her as she continued. "This is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. He's my… um…" She stopped, unsure of what to call him.

"We're together," he spoke, nodding in greeting. Amu blushed but smiled. Of course. Simplest was best. Why try to put labels on the feelings they shared?

Together was the answer. Always.

Shinku, it seemed, wasted no time on subtlety. "You're the Chosen. How unfortunate."

Amu let out a little gasp, but Ikuto's face was unreadable. "Unfortunate for whom?"

The twin-tailed woman stared back at him just as calmly. "For Amu, of course. Why should I care about anyone else?"

Then, surprisingly, his lips turned upward in a smile. "You shouldn't."

She looked at him for a long moment and then declared, "We have similar priorities. All right, then. I approve." Amu blinked in confusion at the exchange.

Meanwhile, Rima, who had thus far been silent, narrowed her eyes. "_I'm_ Amu's best friend," she informed him.

"Ah, I see," he replied gravely. "Well then. Do I have your permission to court Miss Hinamori?"

"You're going to do it anyway," sniffed the tiny blonde.

"Well, yes," he agreed with a smirk. "But, of course, her friends' approval is important to her and would be greatly appreciated."

"Very well then," Rima consented.

Sometimes, Amu wondered how she ended up with such strange friends. "Oh, Ikuto!" she exclaimed, her face brightening as she got an idea. "Let me show you around!"

-likefireandgunpowder-

Stepping into the throne room, Amu flicked her eyes over to where King Hikaru sat before glancing around to see if she could spot anyone she knew to stand with. _I'm in luck! _Amu thought happily as she caught sight of her handsome boyfriend (_is that what he is?_) nearby.

_Perhaps a lover? _she mused as she squirmed through the crowd to get to him. She stumbled, tripping over someone just before she reached him, and he caught her, holding her close. "Careful, Amu," he teased, gently pushing her away just enough so they could see each other's eyes.

_A soul mate?_

The young woman was suddenly reminded of the day they had first met, of how her heart ached just to hear his voice, standing here in this very room, speaking the very words he was just about to say. "Ikuto, can you please hold me?" she whispered, her eyes big and brimming with tears unshed.

His gaze immediately shifted, becoming more intense. "Of course, Amu." He drew her close once more. "Of course."

_We're so in sync_, she thought with wonder. _He knows why I'm upset without even having to ask. _Amu closed her fist, imagining the bird he once drew for her, and silence descended upon the room as the Daily Praise Ceremony began. There was a brief pause before the speaker began their part, and for those few, blessed seconds, all Amu could hear- all the sound anywhere in the world- was Ikuto's heartbeat. _Our hearts are beating together, at the same time._

"All glory and honor to the King!"

"All glory and honor to the King!" came their quick echo, Amu shivering as she felt the vibrations of Ikuto's voice. "All glory and honor to the Chooser! May the Chooser protect our King!"

"Let us remember the sacrifice of this year's Chosen and the Chosen of the years before. Let us never forget the purity of heart of those who offer themselves to the Chooser in this way."

Ikuto spoke now, the same words as always, an automated response, "It is an honor to give my life for the commorancy. It is an honor to give my life for the Chooser."

_What will I do when his stops beating?_ Amu wondered, thinking of their hearts that beat in unison.

_Perhaps I'll simply die._

-likefireandgunpowder-

"Does it hurt?" Amu murmured as she held Ikuto's wrist in her hand. She glanced up, and, at his questioning look, elaborated softly, "The poison?"

Some emotion flickered in Ikuto's eyes- Guilt? Anxiety?- but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "No," he said, unruffled. "Of course not."

-likefireandgunpowder-

The two figures stood close together, alone in Amu's living room, as Ami was spending the day with a friend. It was break day again- time passed so quickly- and Amu was determined to teach Ikuto how to dance. One of his hands rested on her waist; the other was held to the side, clasped with hers. However, it was proving a more difficult venture than she'd first expected.

"Then take a step forward- um, no! I mean, back! That's right. And then…"

"Are you sure you know how to dance?" he asked, amused.

"Of _course _I do!" Amu fumed. "And you're the guy, anyway. You're supposed to lead!"

"Then why are you leading?"

"Because you don't know how, idiot!" she half-growled.

"And you're _sure_ you know how to dance?"

Amu stopped moving, causing their awkward shuffling to come to a halt. "I do! My mother taught me how, and her mother taught her, and her mother taught her how… Why do you keep asking that?"

"It's just, with you stepping on my toes so much…"

"Ikuto!" she screeched, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Y-you should have moved them out of the way! Then we wouldn't have had this problem."

"Fine, fine, you want me to take the lead?" he teased, and spun her around, then out, then in again until she tumbled, laughing into his arms, their lips joining together for a sweet, happy kiss, and she whispered, still grinning, clutched close to him, "I love you."

Time seemed to slow down, everything falling silent, their breaths the only sound to be heard. _That's the first time I've said it, isn't it? _Amu thought, her heart pounding. Ikuto kissed her again, this time slower and more tender. It was the sweetest, most bone-melting kiss they'd ever shared, as if he was putting everything he had into it, his whole self, just for her.

"I love you, too, Amu. I'm sorry. I really do love you." He gently pulled her into a closer embrace, leaning his head against hers contritely.

Unexpectedly, though, Amu pushed him back, her eyes burning with some strong emotion. "Don't be sorry, Ikuto," she said fiercely, determined to erase the apology from his voice. "We love each other. Isn't that the most wonderful thing that two people can do? So… I want you to smile, Ikuto…" At this, her voice became tender, and she reached up to brush a strand of hair from his face. "I'm not trying to say that you have to hide what you're feeling, or that you have to smile all the time, but please… I'm _happy_. I want you to be happy, too, as much as you can be. Because, you , you're… You're my most important person, okay? And you deserve _every _happiness _ever_…" Her voice choked up as she tried not to cry and make Ikuto feel _more _guilty, which was _not _what she was trying to accomplish. Her cheeks were flushed from stating her feelings so plainly, but this was important to her, so it was worth it. _Ikuto _was worth it, was worth everything. She could only thank the Chooser that she hadn't stumbled too much over her words.

Ikuto was watching her, looking as though she'd shattered some barrier, some painful, bitter defense that he'd been holding like a shield around his heart, keeping her from reaching that inmost place. A small, painful smile tugged at his lips. "Every time I think I can't love you more, you go and surprise me again." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you. I promise… Until the day I have to leave, I will smile for you." He wrapped his arms around her, and they stayed like that, embracing. "Only you, Amu."

**AN: Hello, everyone! Wow, I've reached 600 hits! That's pretty amazing. I'm so grateful- thank you all. I hope you're enjoying this, although it might not end up exactly as you're expecting… I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I hope you'll like it anyway!**

**Recommending listening for this fic: Run by Snow Patrol. I think it fits really well, if you want to look it up.**

**Thank you once again to all of my reviewers. To all of the people who read but don't review, it would be appreciated if you did, but the most important thing is that you're enjoying it, so if you are, I'm doing my job right! In response to En ar Ciel's question, Souko didn't take Ikuto's place because she didn't submit her name for the Choosing, not having known what he was doing. Once the Chosen is picked, there's no going back and no changing it. And even if she had entered her name, there's no guarantee that she would have been Chosen. After all, Ikuto wasn't the only one who submitted his name- he was just the one that was picked. It's quite possible that even if she'd submitted her name, Ikuto still would have been the one picked to die. Hopefully that was explained well enough. I'm sorry if it was confusing!**


	6. Chapter 6

She swept the wet cloth over the table once more, trying to round up the few crumbs that had evaded her. All of the chefs took turns cleaning up the cafeterias after meals, so she didn't have to do it every day (or even every week), but every once in a while the task fell to Amu. It wasn't exactly hard work and she didn't mind it, but she _would _rather be cooking.

Well, she was almost done, anyway. There were only two more tables that needed to be cleared of middlemeal's leftovers. Luckily, the people of the commorancy were very tidy in general and never wasteful, so that certainly made her current job easier.

Absently brushing a strand of pink hair from her face, Amu continued her earlier train of thought… How the heck was she supposed to balance all this? She wanted to spend time with her family, and she wanted to meet with Shinku and Rima outside of work, and she wanted to get to know Utau, but… Most of all, she really just wanted to spend her time with Ikuto. Maybe it was selfish, but she wanted to keep him all to herself, wanted to be with him every minute, to hold him close and breathe him in.

She knew the other people she was close to were a bit upset that they didn't get to see her very often, but that was just too bad, for now.

In three months' time, they'd have her all to themselves.

Her stomach suddenly clenching, Amu fought down the bile in her throat, struggling not to throw up in the rag bucket.

_Don't. Don't. Don't leave._

-likefireandgunpowder-

Tucking the book underneath her arm, Amu punched in the entrance code for Ikuto's home. For once, though, she wasn't there to see him.

_Although, if I'm being honest, it would definitely be an added bonus_, Amu thought wryly as the door slid open. She laughed a little bit to herself, stepping through the open frame. Inside, all was quiet, but the young woman took a few hesitant steps forward, anyway, clearing her throat in case Ikuto, Aruto, or Souko was home. When no one answered, Amu walked over to Utau's door and rapped her knuckles on it a few times.

"Yes?" Utau's voice called out in reply. "Come in."

_Please don't let me be overstepping her boundaries, please don't let me be annoying her, please don't let me say something dumb, please, Chooser…_

Amu took a deep breath for courage before pushing the door open. "Um, hello."

"Amu." If Utau was surprised to see her, she didn't show it. "What are you doing here?"

Ikuto's younger sister was lying in bed, beautiful as always, of course. The Tsukiyomis were all so lovely to look at that she felt plain and awkward in comparison. _But not with Ikuto! _she reminded herself. No, never with Ikuto. Standing by his side made her feel joyful, not embarrassed, and when he looked at her, she felt more beautiful, rather than less. _Focus, Amu! _her brain scolded her. _Now's not the time to get all lovey-dovey about Ikuto!_

"Hi, Utau. I was thinking I'd like to spend some time with you, get to know you better…" She wished her heart would stop beating so fast. Dang it, she just wasn't good at being outgoing…

"Well, what did you want to do, then?" Utau asked her, sounding intrigued, if a little impatient.

At this, Amu lifted up the book she'd been holding. "I thought we could talk. Or, I could read to you, if you're tired."

"Read to me?" The blonde looked insulted. "I'm an invalid, not a simpleton."

"Of course not!" Amu flushed with embarrassment. "I _never _meant… I just… This one's from the Library, so you might not have read it before. And it always made me feel better when my mom read to me when I was sick as a child…"

At this, Utau's face softened. "Ah… Then, I _guess_ you can. But, if you're a bad reader, _I'm _reading to _you_, okay?"

Amu grinned. "Sure!"

-likefireandgunpowder-

"Look, Ikuto!" Amu laughed, motioning for him to come closer. He obliged, walking over from where he'd been standing and sitting down within arms' length of her.

The two of them were in the Library. They'd come under the pretext of getting a new book for Amu and Utau to read together, the two of them having plowed through the last one. "I'd like to come next time," Ikuto had said after learning of his girlfriend's visits with his sister, and there had been a softness in his eyes that told her he appreciated the effort she was making. "Amu's voice is so lovely, I could listen to it for hours." If he'd intended to make her blush, then he'd succeeded. Amu's face was red but pleased.

However, they'd already found a suitable book, so now the couple was amusing themselves by looking through the other tomes- specifically the dictionary, in Amu's case. "Hand it over?" Ikuto asked, holding out a hand for the book.

Amu passed it on, scowling when he effortlessly supported its weight with that single hand. "Show-off," she grumbled.

The young man smirked, shifting the book so it rested in his lap. "What word were you looking at?" he asked.

"Pink," Amu admitted, giving a vividly pink strand of hair a light tug.

"Of course," Ikuto teased.

"Oh, be quiet, you. But seriously, couldn't they have found a better description for the noun than 'pink color or pigment'?"

At first she'd wondered whether it was okay to think something like this about an object produced by the commorancy. But then she'd realized that the people who wrote the dictionary were human, just like them, and prone to making mistakes; that knowledge had eased her anxiety. And besides, seeing Ikuto's smile was worth it.

"That's so incredibly helpful," the dark-haired man remarked. No sarcasm there.

He flipped through a couple pages. Amu was content to merely sit and watch his face for a little while, so she noticed when his eyebrows rose. "What is it?" the pinkette inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"Two things." Ikuto beckoned her closer, then glanced at her when she scooted over. "Not close enough."

"But I can see just-"

"You need to be closer," he interrupted.

Amu flushed and moved still closer until they were sitting side by side with their arms touching. "Is this good?" she asked.

"Yep." He nodded, looking satisfied.

"Why do you need me to be so close?" Amu questioned. Not that she _minded_, but it made it hard to concentrate…

"I like to have you next to me."

He'd been looking down at the dictionary as he said it, as if afraid she'd laugh or scold him. Amu blinked; then smiled tenderly. "Mm. Me, too." After a few seconds, she spoke once more. "So what were you going to show me?"

"First of all," he instructed, "look at that picture."

Amu leaned in slightly and peered at the page. "Huh. It looks like a kitchen knife, sorta, but different. I've never seen that before, though. 'Scalpel'. But- HEY-"

"I know." He was watching her.

"Somebody inked out the definition!" Amu's voice trembled- with shock or outrage, she couldn't tell. "Who would deface a book produced by the commorancy?"

"Crazy, huh? Whoever did that had guts," Ikuto mused.

"It's outrageous!" Amu huffed. "Writing in books!"

The two of them stared at the marked-up page for a little while longer, uttering soft exclamations every once in a while. Contrary to Amu's outrage, Ikuto seemed more intrigued than anything else- both at the fact that someone had very obviously broken a rule, and at their choice of what to cross out. "Maybe it wasn't necessary," he said, frowning, after a while. "You haven't heard of it; I haven't heard of it. Maybe, whatever it is, it just isn't used anymore. So they didn't need the definition."

"Ah…" Amu's frown lightened. "Maybe."

But another page turn soon dispelled that notion.

"Look, another!" Amu exclaimed, jabbing her finger at the page.

"Surgery." Ikuto's jaw clenched. He was obviously thinking of Utau.

"Well," Amu said, her voice quiet. "That's certainly necessary."

"Why this word?" he murmured, fingers lightly brushing the pen marks.

"Maybe somebody was angry that they couldn't get one," Amu offered hesitantly. She, too, was thinking of Utau. "Or somebody who knew them."

"Perhaps." The troubled expression lingered on his face for only a few moments before being replaced with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hey, Amu."

She recognized that glint. "What is it?" the pinkette asked warily.

"Let's do it, too."

"WHAT?" Amu nearly shouted before being silenced with a finger to her lips. They waited breathlessly for a few long seconds to see if anyone would come to investigate. When no one did, however, Ikuto removed his finger from Amu's lips, and she whispered furiously, "Are you crazy? They'll know it was us!"

"Nah," he said casually, with a shrug. "They'll think it was whoever did the last markings. Besides, I won't make anything unreadable. Just… change some things."

He did just that, changing letters and adding hilarious adjectives that completely changed the meaning of the phrases. Soon Amu's disapproving look disappeared and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. _Chooser, I'm sorry, but... this is really fun!_

"Here," she said, reaching out for the pen. "Let me have a try…"

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the delay! I know it's shorter than usual, but I thought that something was better than nothing… As you can probably tell, I've reached the end of what I had already written before posting. As such, updates will not be coming as quickly. However, I do promise that I am not going to abandon the story or anything like that It just might take a while longer than the previous chapters to come out. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, short as it was. I was so excited that I'd reached a thousand hits, so thank you to all my readers! If you read this or any other chapter, please drop me a review to let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

Amu and Ikuto stepped out of the elevator onto floor 10, the floor dedicated to the education of students. As it was one of the two Break days for children, no classes were in session; apart from a few teachers catching up on their grading, the two of them had the school to themselves. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Ikuto sighed dramatically.

Amu was quick to retort. "Like you needed much convincing, Mr. Troublemaker!"

His answering smirk was confirmation enough, but he quipped in reply, "That's because you're a bad influence, Miss Troublemaker."

Amu's comment had been true. After about a minute of pleading from Amu, to which he pretended to protest, he'd been more than happy to take her to the music room and let her listen to him perform. She'd always wanted to hear him play an instrument, and it was such a large part of who he was, it was inevitable that they'd end up doing this sometime or another.

What should have scandalized Amu (but really didn't, at this point) was that Ikuto and his father had switched job pins for the day, in the unlikely case of them needing to present authorization for their presence there. "You two do look similar," the young woman remarked, even as she felt an anxious flutter in her stomach. This made twice recently that she'd broken commorancy rules: once for defacing Library property, once for aiding an identity-switch. She couldn't help but wonder… Did that make her a criminal? Certainly, people had been disciplined for less before. Amu closed her hand, recalling Ikuto's bird, and then put the thought out of her mind.

"I suppose there's a bit of a family resemblance," Ikuto said, agreeing with her earlier statement. Of course, the ruse wouldn't hold up under close scrutiny, or against people that Aruto knew personally, so Amu and Ikuto made sure to walk at a steady pace and not make eye-contact. "Here we are, milady," he announced, pushing open the door to the music classroom.

"Wow," Amu said, smiling fondly. "This sure brings back memories."

"Tell me about it," Ikuto concurred, having spent much of his childhood in the room. It was painted the same calming color as the other classrooms, but it was the size of two of them combined. Half of the room housed a treasure trove of musical instruments, while the other half was populated by chairs. However, the chairs stood not in rows, as usual, but in a half circle facing the music teacher's place at the front of the classroom, drawing the students' attention to Aruto whether he was conducting a class or a musical piece.

There was no issue with theft in the commorancy, nor did anyone personally own a musical instrument, so the cases all sat on chairs or beside them. Ikuto strode towards one in particular and flicked open the latch; it was unlocked.

"The violin?" Amu questioned softly as he lifted it out of its case slowly, almost reverently.

"Yeah," he said simply, and a bittersweet ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. "I got so mad when they made me stop coming to school, because that meant I couldn't play the violin anymore. Even though I get to be an artist, even though I knew they didn't need another music teacher… A part of me still resented them for taking it away from me."

Amu was sad to hear it, and her heart ached for him, but at the same time, she was struck by how much he'd opened up to her since they'd met. Ikuto was, by nature, a very private person, and she knew that there were some things he still didn't tell her. But that was okay. It just meant that moments like this, when he trusted her and told her how he felt, were all the more meaningful. "I'm sorry," she said with absolute sincerity. "I wish it didn't have to be that way."

Ikuto set the violin down and visibly pushed the emotions away. "Yeah, well, I can see their logic, even if they _did _have a spot," he said casually. "I mean, why give the kids a teacher they're gonna take away in less than a year anyway?"

Amu gasped and clenched her fists so tightly it hurt.

At the small intake of breath, Ikuto turned around to look at her, and his expression immediately turned guilty. "Oh, shit. Amu, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Just… don't do that, all right? Don't talk about your life like it's no big deal." Amu's eyes were anguished.

"I'm sorry," the young man repeated once more as he gently but firmly uncurled her closed fists, finger by finger. When he spoke next, his face was expressionless, but his eyes were hard and sharp as broken shards, and his voice was rough. "I hurt your hands."

Amu glanced down, and sure enough, there were markings on her hands where nails had bit into skin. Ikuto gently kissed each palm.

"Don't be silly," she admonished him. "_I'm _the one who hurt myself. Besides, look: it's not so bad at all. See, they're already fading."

Some of the tension left his frame, but Amu could tell that he still blamed himself. "Hey," she said, nudging him with her elbow. "How about you play something for me? Please?"

"All right," he agreed. "That is what we came here for." He picked the violin up once more and, after a few moments' pause, began to play.

Amu thought it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard.

_What a sad melody… _Her chest tightened, and she felt as if she might cry.

The song lasted a few minutes, but it seemed like only seconds to Amu. When the last notes had wavered in the air and faded away, she clapped enthusiastically. "You're amazing, Ikuto!"

He smiled but shrugged off her plaudits. "Thanks. You should hear my dad, though. He's better."

"No way!" Amu protested stubbornly. "Surely Ikuto is the best in the commorancy!"

This made him laugh. "You can't decide that after hearing only one person play, Amu," Ikuto teased. "I think you're biased in my favor."

She blushed and scowled. "I have, too, heard someone else play violin before!" After a second, though, she conceded, "But I just might… possibly… be a _little _biased towards you."

"Just a little?" he joked, pulling her close.

"Okay, okay, a _lot _biased. What can I say? But don't get too cocky. There's this jerk I know, and I'm in love with him."

"This jerk? Should I be jealous?" Now their faces were only inches apart.

"Yes," she whispered, smiling. "Very jealous. He's the best, most handsome violin player in the whole world. I love him so much and I could never want to be with anyone else."

"Well, then," he murmured against her lips. "It's a good thing he loves you, too."

-likefireandgunpowder-

She found Ikuto in the library after work one day, nose buried in a book. "What are you reading?" she inquired, grinning and heading down the aisle towards him.

Upon hearing her voice, the young man promptly shut the book and shelved it. "Not much. Just some research. Sorry I was late to pick you up."

Amu briefly glanced at the section title- genealogies and biographies. "No problem," she assured him, flicking her gaze back to his face and smiling warmly. "Wanna come over to my place? I can eat eveningmeal and we can cuddle on the couch."

"Sounds exciting," he said wryly, but took her hand. "Count me in."

-likefireandgunpowder-

Two days later, they had their first real fight- that is, the first argument which wasn't resolved in a few minutes, or even a few hours. It was over something stupid, and it escalated, and suddenly all the things Amu found attractive and endearing about Ikuto were grate, grate, grating on her nerves and _obviously _she was right would he just shut up shut up shut up.

She ate alone that night, stomped over to the second floor cafeteria, where her food was sitting unclaimed and cold because there had been no one to wrap it up for her. It made her, somehow, more upset. Was he really so angry at her that he didn't want to see her? That he couldn't be bothered to drop off her food, or even let her mother know to pick it up?

Her mood even blacker than before, Amu fumed all the way back home. She sat down at the table, even in her foul temper careful not to wake her sleeping family, and jabbed at the unappetizing dish with her fork, scowling and trying to make it seem appealing in some way, shape, or form.

_It's his fault anyway. I'm not going to apologize. He can come to me if he wants to make up. Idiot._

Still, that night she lay in bed and didn't sleep at all.

By the time lightson came, Amu was feeling much calmer, and was ready to admit she might have been at fault as well. They had both overreacted, obviously. There was no time to go see Ikuto before work, but when she got off that night, he was waiting outside the kitchen, holding her eveningmeal and looking contrite.

Amu walked over and took the food, looking up at him. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"Me, too," Ikuto replied in that same, low tone.

"Do you think…" Amu hesitated. "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you think we should take a break for a couple days? Have a little time to ourselves?" He didn't look hurt or upset, so she continued. "I feel like I'm so caught up in you lately, and we're never apart. I'm not sure it's healthy."

He brushed a piece of hair from her face, nodding with a serious expression on his face. "You're right. We're a bit codependent, aren't we?"

Amu huffed out a laugh. "Just a bit." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, drawing reassurance from his steady heartbeat. "I still love you," she murmured.

"Mm," he agreed, wrapping his arms around her. "Me, too."

She pushed back, looking him in the eyes and smiling. "I'll see you in a few days."

-likefireandgunpowder-

"Do you want to hang out with me on Break day tomorrow?" Amu asked Rima as she kneaded some dough, her hair pulled back out of her face with an x clip and a pony tail.

Eyebrow raised, Rima looked up from the tomatoes she was slicing. "So now you have time for your best friend? I thought you would be with your boyfriend."

Amu flushed with embarrassment and guilt for neglecting her friends. "I'm sorry. No, we're not going to be with each other tomorrow," she mumbled, looking downwards at the dough.

"Then you should come over to my place," Rima replied, an obvious gesture of forgiveness. She hid her small smile by turning her head. Amu, however, had no such qualms. She looked up and grinned.

-likefireandgunpowder-

First day back to work after Break day, Amu was already missing Ikuto. _I'll go see him tonight_, she resolved. _If he needs more time, that's fine, but I'm ready to be with spend time with him again._

She was itching to go find him at work, but she didn't know where his current project was, or even what it was. So instead, Amu dropped by the second floor cafeteria to pick up her eveningmeal and then headed over to Ikuto's home in the living sector.

Arriving at the door, Amu debated just entering in the code, but she didn't know if he wanted to see her right now, so she just knocked instead. The soft sound of bare feet padding across the floor greeted her ears; her heartbeat sped up. "Hey, Amu," he said, the door sliding open. "You have the code. You know you don't need to knock-" She cut him off; reached out and slid her arm behind his neck, pulling him towards her and into a kiss.

When they broke apart, he smirked, loveable jerk that he was. "Feeling better?" he teased.

"Much."

Some slightly intense kissing may or may not have ensued.

**Author's Note: So here it is, finally! I hope you're not disappointed after the long wait. I apologize for how long it's been since I've updated, but I did warn you that the rest of the story would be slower to come now that I've reached the end of what I had previously written. I'm also working on a different fic, so most of my inspiration is going to that. However, as promised, this story is certainly not abandoned, and I will finish it in due time. Please drop me a review telling me if you liked it, what you thought I could improve, etc. if you feel so inclined. All input is very much appreciated.**


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